Alerts

Have you ever found an item on Facebook Marketplace that seemed too good to be true? While buying products online is popular, scammers are increasingly using these platforms to commit fraud.

Scammers often post fake listings using stolen or misleading photos to make items appear legitimate. In many cases, a high-value item catches a buyer’s interest, and the scammer pressures them to send payment for the product, or a down payment to hold it through Zelle®. Once the money is sent, it typically cannot be reversed, as Zelle® transactions are instant and final. 

How to Protect Yourself:

• Verify the seller before purchasing, by reviewing their profile, history, and reviews.
• Communicate through Facebook Messenger only and avoid interacting with suspicious or brand-new accounts.
• Be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

For your ETPCU debit and credit cards, we strongly recommend closely monitoring your accounts through Online Banking or our free Mobile App. These services provide tools to reduce your risk of being a fraud victim including Card Control, which allows you to turn your card on or off, and Manage Alerts, which allows you to receive real-time alerts of account activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 903-323-1238. Our team is here to help protect you.

Have you experienced a Zelle® accidental transfer? This can happen if a user enters the wrong phone number, email address, or accidentally selects the wrong contact. These transfers are not always scams but can be.

In the instance of scams: scammers may use compromised online banking credentials to send money, then ask you to send it back through Zelle®. If an “accidental transfer” is initiated by a scammer, they may pressure you, the recipient, to return the funds. The scammer may impersonate a bank, family member, retailer, or even authorities to create a false sense of urgency. DO NOT be pressured into quick decisions. Zelle® transactions are instant and final. If you send money back, the original fraudulent transfer may then be reversed, leaving you at a loss.

How to protect yourself:

• Do not spend the accidental transfer money – keep it in your account until you confirm it is yours.
• Contact your bank to explain the situation and ask if the transaction can be reversed.
• Verify the sender’s identity. If you suspect fraud, do not respond to any requests for money or personal information.
• Report to Zelle® if your bank cannot reverse the transfer. You can file a report with Zelle® or your bank’s fraud department.

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

For your ETPCU debit and credit cards, we strongly recommend closely monitoring your accounts through Online Banking or our free Mobile App. These services provide tools to reduce your risk of being a fraud victim including Card Control, which allows you to turn your card on or off, and Manage Alerts, which allows you to receive real-time alerts of account activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 903-323-1238. Our team is here to help protect you.

Have you seen your dream home listed online at a price that seems too good to be true? Be cautious, it could be a Rental Scam. Rental scams occur when properties are fake or misrepresented on social media to trick renters into paying deposits or sharing sensitive personal information. In some cases, these properties may not even exist or are created using photos from legitimate listings. The goal is to obtain your money or personal information.

Scammers often advertise rent well below market value to attract interest. The “landlord” may make excuses as to why you can’t tour the property and may pressure you to send deposits or first month’s rent through gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or money transfer services, such as Cash App, Venmo, and Zelle, before ever seeing the property in-person.

How to Protect Yourself:

1. Never pay cash or transfer money before viewing the property.
2. Verify the owner by checking public tax records.
3. Reverse image search the photos to see if they belong to another listing.

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

For your ETPCU debit and credit cards, we strongly recommend closely monitoring your accounts through Online Banking or our free Mobile App. These services provide tools to reduce your risk of being a fraud victim including Card Control, which allows you to turn your card on or off, and Manage Alerts, which allows you to receive real-time alerts of account activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 903-323-1238. Our team is here to help protect you.

Scammers have been making headlines with a “Wrong Number” text scam. It is becoming an increasingly popular tactic where the scammer will text seemingly innocent messages, such as “Hi, is this Sarah?” when your name is not Sarah. The goal is to verify your phone number is active and trick you into responding. This increases your risk of having personal information and money stolen by the scammer.

If you do reply, the scammer will try to strike up a friendly conversation, build trust, and eventually try to scam you out of personal information or money. These tactics can lead to cryptocurrency or “pig butchering” scams, where trust is built with the scammer over time, and the scammer will coerce the victim to send money by promising high returns from their “investment” or other false promises.

How to Protect Yourself:

1. Don’t respond to unknown numbers, even if it is to say, “Wrong number.”
2. Block and delete the unknown number.
3. Report the unknown number and message to 7726 (SPAM) and to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov. For your ETPCU debit and credit cards, we strongly recommend closely monitoring your accounts through Online Banking or our free Mobile App. These services provide tools to reduce your risk of being a fraud victim including Card Control, which allows you to turn your card on or off, and Manage Alerts, which allows you to receive real-time alerts of account activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 903-323-1238. Our team is here to help protect you.

Skimming devices are hidden, illegal devices attached to legitimate card readers for the purpose of criminal activity. They are a widespread form of fraud commonly found in high-traffic locations and are designed to blend into legitimate machines, making them difficult to detect. When a card is swiped or inserted into a compromised reader, the skimming device captures and stores card information contained in the magnetic stripe, including the card number, expiration date, security code, and cardholder name.

Fraudsters may also capture a cardholder’s PIN by installing hidden cameras or using fake keypads that record keystrokes.

Common Places Skimming Devices Are Found:

Gas Station Pumps
Because they are unattended, exposed, and often lack tamper-resistant technology, gas station pumps are one of the most common skimming hotspots in the nation. According to the U.S. Secret Service, fuel pumps are among the most frequently compromised payment points nationwide. Older pumps, without upgraded chip-only readers, are especially vulnerable.

Standalone ATMs
ATMs located inside convenience stores, bars, or small retail spaces often lack consistent surveillance and monitoring, and making them a target for criminals. Criminals rely on a false sense of security. The more isolated the ATM, the higher the risk. If a card slot looks altered or inserting your card feels unusual, avoid using the machine and notify the business immediately.

Convenience Stores
Smaller convenience stores frequently appear in skimming investigations due to high transaction volume and limited oversight. Point-of-sale terminals may be handled by multiple employees, making tampering harder to detect. Some skimming operations can remain unnoticed for weeks, often due to older equipment and limited cybersecurity resources—not malicious staff, but weak infrastructure.

How to Protect Yourself:
• Use contactless or mobile payment options (Apple Pay, Google Pay) when available. These payment options use one-time codes instead of your actual card number.
• Inspect the card reader for loose parts, misaligned components, or broken security seals. Gently wiggle the card slot or keypad.
• Shield the keypad with your hand when entering your PIN to obscure the view from cameras.
• Pay inside at gas stations rather than using the pump terminal.

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.

East Texas Professional Credit Union (ETPCU) was notified of a phone scam targeting debit card users. Members may receive text messages from fraudsters claiming to be an ETPCU alert, asking them to verify recent debit card charges. These messages often ask if you have authorized the charge and urge you to reply.

Once you reply, the fraudster may respond by stating you will receive a call from an ETPCU representative shortly.

The phone number used may appear to be from the Credit Union but these calls and texts ARE NOT from ETPCU.

How to Protect Yourself:

1. When responding to a text alert, ETPCU will never call you once you verify or deny the alert. 
2. If you are suspicious, hang up and call ETPCU using a VERFIABLE phone number – not one provided in a phone messaging app.

If you have been a victim of this type of activity, we encourage you to file a complaint with the FBI at www.ic3.gov.. For your ETPCU debit/credit cards, we strongly recommend closely monitoring your accounts through Online Banking or our free Mobile App. These services provide tools to reduce your risk of being a fraud victim including Card Control, which allows you to turn your card on or off, and Manage Alerts, which allows you to receive real-time alerts of account activity.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 903-323-1238.

East Texas Professional Credit Union (ETPCU) was notified of a phone scam targeting debit card users. Members have reported calls from fraudsters claiming to be from the ETPCU's Fraud Department. The caller informs members they are not signed up for text alerts for suspicious transactions and offers to help. They then send a text and ask the member to verify a transaction to see if alerts are working. Finally, they tell the member to respond saying it is a valid transaction - even though it is a fraudulent charge the caller is attempting.

The phone number is spoofed and appears to be from the Credit Union. These calls ARE NOT from ETPCU.

If you receive this call, please hang up immediately and do not divulge any information to the caller. If you have already inadvertently provided your information, please contact a Member Service Representative at 903-323-1238 in order to have your card blocked immediately. In addition, please watch your account closely via Online Banking or our free Mobile App for any unauthorized debit card activity.

1. We will NEVER call you regarding enrollment in Fraud Alerts.
2. All ETPCU messages will come from a short code of 5-6 digits, NEVER from a phone number.
3. If you are suspicious, hang up and call ETPCU using a VERIFIABLE phone number – not one provided in a phone call, email or text.   

Should you have any other questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact us at 903-323-1238.